Cases / Chemical pollution · International · 2006–2025
Chrysotile asbestos blocked from Rotterdam Convention listing by vetoes since 2006
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
The Rotterdam Convention secretariat and the Earth Negotiations Bulletin report that chrysotile asbestos could not be listed under the convention because five to seven countries vetoed the decision. The sources do not say which countries cast each veto.
What?
Chrysotile asbestos could not be listed under the Rotterdam Convention because of vetoes by five to seven countries. Rotterdam Convention Secretariat; Earth Negotiations Bulletin
Where?
Rotterdam Convention, international Rotterdam Convention Secretariat; Earth Negotiations Bulletin
When?
Who?
Gained
None on recordLost
None on recordHarmed
None on recordWhy?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Vetoes by five to seven countries blocked the listing decision Rotterdam Convention Secretariat; Earth Negotiations Bulletin
5 of 6 questions answered from the record · open: who
What happened
The record, in order.
The Rotterdam Convention secretariat and the Earth Negotiations Bulletin report that chrysotile asbestos could not be listed under the convention from 2006 because five to seven countries vetoed the listing.
The entry names Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe as the countries involved.
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- None on record The sources do not say which country cast which veto, or when each veto was made.
- Insufficient Reported but not verified: asbestos production was 1.33 million tonnes in 2022, with Russia the largest producer.
- Insufficient Reported but not verified: 26,820 mesothelioma deaths from occupational exposure in 2019, and an estimated 255,000 asbestos-related deaths a year.
- Insufficient Reported but not verified: the 2024 United States chrysotile ban was suspended for review in 2025.
- None on record The sources reviewed do not name who benefited from the delay.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers
Press and investigations
- Chrysotile cannot be listed due to vetoes by 5-7 countriesRotterdam Convention Secretariat; Earth Negotiations Bulletin · 2025